1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to an adiabatic mold made from a composite material. It is particularly directed to such molds used for the curing of chemically curable compositions.
2. Description of The Related Art
Chemically curable compositions are generally formed into shapes and allowed to cure, or harden, via chemically-induced polymerization and/or crosslinking reactions. The shaping process can be accomplished by molding, such as injection molding, compression molding, cell casting and the like. Sheet materials can be obtained by cell casting (a batch mode) or by continuous casting or molding onto a conveyor belt or belt press.
During the curing process, loss of heat to the surrounding materials and to the environment retards reaction kinetics. This can result in longer curing times and can decrease resulting physical properties. The materials that are used for molds, conveyor belts and other containing structures are typically metals, frequently aluminum or steel, or thick reinforced resin-impregnated fabrics. These absorb heat generated by the chemical curing reaction and generally must be heated or preheated in order to achieve satisfactory curing. Further, the resins are often degraded by heat, and the structures can be used only a limited number of times.
The primary function of a mold is to hold the desired shape while the composition cures. In order to maintain the shape and tolerance, the mold must have sufficient structural rigidity. Typically, support for conventional molds is made up of wood or metal bracing which adds mass, potentially increasing the volumetric heat capacity of the mold. In addition, such typical support increases the complexity of the mold's construction. The structural complexity is especially visible in molds for making shapes. The complex bracing required often require multiple pieces of, for example, ply wood, constructed to surround the shaped mold to retain the structural integrity of the mold.